Peter O'Donnell (1920–2010)

Lovely as usual - I was laughing out loud at many points, mostly at people being perfectly themselves (Tarrant's line about "This doesn't happen to _normal_ people!", for instance). Three stories - Guido the Jinx possibly actually learning a lesson (only possibly, though, because it is Guido); a bunch of idiots thinking that Modesty and Willie would make good quarry in a hunt (amazing how dumb some people can be - and they had to have researched them!); and a very interesting one - I'd say show more I'd like to see more of Lena but...that is the very last strip story. I can't remember why it stopped - looking at the last strip, I gather it was not unexpected. It's a lovely ending - Modesty and Willie are not done, there just won't be any more stories about them (though I suspect O'Donnell got tired of being asked to bring them back, and therefore wrote Cobra Trap that does finish them off). A delightful book, sad only because I know it's the last. Now I want to reread the whole series - I'm extremely grateful to Titan Books for bringing these back in such a lovely and complete format. Modesty forever! show less

Three good stories. The front essay is a little odd - interesting, as it discusses all the places where circuses show up in the Modesty stories (strips and novels both), but as there's no circus in any of the stories in this book it seems an odd choice. The first story is Samantha and the Cherub - I absolutely love Sam. The way she handles her brother is great. Her determination to help and miscalculation are perfect, as is Willie's reaction afterward. She's wonderful and I'm glad to hear show more (from the foreword) that she will show up again later. The story itself is relatively lightweight - a hostage-taking that, fortunately for the good guys, goes seriously wrong just because Modesty and Willie get involved. Though there are several moments of real danger, to Sam and to Modesty and Willie. The second story is Milord, which is thoroughly nasty. Modesty and Willie run into two ends of a nasty variety of the vice trade - "blue" films made with kidnapped girls. There's nothing explicit shown, but it gets quite violent - once Modesty and Willie have defeated the villains and freed their victims, the latter eliminate the former. And Willie at the time and Modesty afterward agree it was appropriate. They're quite thoroughly nasty - but it seems a bit of a harsh judgement for Modesty and Willie. The third story is also pretty grim - a kidnapping, echoing another from the Network days, with the primary aim being not ransom but revenge against Modesty. Modesty and Willie use some serious tricks to put the villains off-guard, though they don't work _quite_ long enough, and Modesty ends up fighting for her life in a pretty close to hopeless situation. An unexpected ally keeps her alive and they all get away, though the experience permanently damages an old friendship. Three very strong stories, with relatively little of the usual funny bits. Modesty sails through relatively lightly - she's physically endangered several times, but that's nothing. Willie is put under real stress in all three stories - fear for Sam in the first, knocking Modesty out in the second because of what's been done to the women, and fear for Modesty - and leaving her behind, anyway - in the third. He needs a vacation. I hope there's a funny one coming up. show less

This volume collects the installments of the James Bond comic strip that ran in the Daily Express from 1958 to 1962, adapting the plots of Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, From Russia with Love, Dr No, Goldfinger, "Risico," "From a View to a Kill," "For Your Eyes Only," and Thunderball into strips of 2-4 panels; each novel gets condensed into about 125 strips.

They're heavy on the narration and the recapping; I wouldn't say the writing of the adaptations is show more any great achievement. Except for Thunderball, which is massively cut down (once SPECTRE steals the plane, Bond defeats them in six strips!), the plots are pretty much intact, with all the strengths and weaknesses that implies. Because so little plot is cut, the opening of Goldfinger goes on too long just as it does in the novel; the need to communicate so much means that most conversations are disjointed and expressed in narration. In the first couple stories, the narration is in the third person, then it switches to first person from Bond for a couple, then it goes back to third for the rest. I did think the short stories from For Your Eyes Only really shone at this length; I think they have less compression, and don't feel as drawn out. They become cracking little action pieces, especially "For Your Eyes Only." I did note that these are the only Bond adaptations to maintain Fleming's careful inventories of Bond's meals; on the other hand, they change the third ingredient in the vesper from Kina Lillet to vermouth!

The art is great, though. Sharp black-and-white stuff that suits the mood of Fleming's stories admirably. John McLusky does his best with landscapes and creatures; Bond battling the occasional sea creature also looked great. His villains are grotesque, his women stylish, and his Bond cruel. I don't know that I really recommend sitting down and reading them all through in a couple days as I did, but if you're a Bond devotee (and maybe I am?), they're worth investigating. show less

This was a fun book. It's filled with action and incredible detail about everything that's going on. The presented problems and Modesty Blaise's solutions are thoroughly creative and well-thought. Peter O'Donnell does an excellent job of including just enough information without it slowing the story, but he uses everything he includes. I didn't find much information presented to be extraneous.

Modesty Blaise is a badass. She's classy and understands the fine points of art, music, and culture, show more and yet maintains a ruthless (though not merciless) approach to life. There's almost nothing bad to say about her. She sets an example of discipline and preparedness, of creativity and intelligence, and of a stoic lightheartedness when it comes to life. It's unlikely that anyone (male or female) can be as skilled as she is. The obvious comparison is James Bond (whom Peter O'Donnell likely knew of as this was published in 1965—twelve years after the first Bond novel was written). It's possible, though it's nothing more than speculation, that O'Donnell wrote Modesty Blaise to challenge James Bond's notion that "Women were for recreation. On a job, they got in the way and fogged things up with sex and hurt feelings and all the emotional baggage they carried around. One had to look out for them and take care of them." (Fleming, Casino Royale, p.34). Modesty masterminds everything and certainly holds her own in the field. She relies on Willie Garvin, but less so than he relies on her. No one else in the novel is on their level except perhaps Gabriel. Gabriel's abilities, however, are less defined.

O'Donnell describes the setting vividly. The story takes place briefly in London, but mostly in the Mediterranean. He includes lots of detail in what the characters wear and the environments in which they find themselves.

Though mostly an action book for entertainment, the story includes numerous insights into life and how people live. It hints at ideas regarding how we put meaning into our lives among other reflections.

I recommend this book. show less